STU women's hockey team take the home opener, heads into the new season with confidence
The St. Thomas University (STU) women’s hockey season is finally here. Fans are on the edge of their seats waiting to see who hits the next puck.
Last year, the team lost in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) playoff semifinals to the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds.
STU had over seven months to digest the bittersweet defeat. Now, their focus turns to dropping the puck on a new 2025-26 AUS season.
The team opened their season last Friday at home against the Dalhousie Tigers.
STU scored early in the second period. Defenseman Tristyn Endicott put home a shot over the goalie's shoulder. The team doubled their lead off a rebound from Ella Chambers. STU iced the game with two goals in the third period.
Saturday’s game needed a shootout to determine a winner. STU broke the ice early in the game, thanks to Eden Shellenberg’s first career AUS goal. The team regained the lead later in the period. Teams traded goals in the next two periods. Forward Nadia Lavoie ended the game in the shootout with a backhand deke.
STU won by a 4-3 scoreline, their second win of the weekend.
Peter Murphy is the head coach of the Women's Hockey team. He is entering his 25th season behind the team's bench.
Murphy was pleased with how the team played in the preseason. He used a different line-up in each matchup, to figure out where everyone fits and who they can play with.
"We like to be a fast team, [put] pressure [on] our opponents," he said. "But we'll be a team that takes care of our own end. We've always been defensively strong … we don't want to be shy about getting into a battle or going for a puck."
STU has re-tooled during the offseason. The team brought in seven rookies and one transfer player to complement a roster that includes Lavoie and Amber Daley, both U-Sports All-Stars last season.
Murphy acknowledged that the team "got a little bigger" and improved their depth during the offseason.
"The depth that we have up front just allows for a lot of combinations. If for some reason you're not scoring ... then lines are going to be changed," he said. " It's important to make sure you're getting results."
Jordan Chaulk is the captain of the STU women's hockey team. She is in her fifth season with the squad, her second wearing the captaincy.
Chaulk felt the home opener helped to set the tone for the season. Everyone on the team "came out flying" and was ready to go from the drop of the puck. At the same time, scoring four goals against a good team like Dalhousie was "huge." Goal scoring was something STU had battled with in the past.
She wants the team to carry the momentum further into the season.
"We've struggled in the past to score goals," said Chaulk. "So, it was really great that we were able to come out and score four of them tonight and it was from all sorts of different people."
STU is finding an extra boost this season. Fredericton is set to host the U Sports Women's Hockey National Championship in the new year. UNB qualified for the event as the host, opening the door for two other AUS squads to seize their moment and qualify for the biggest stage for women's university hockey in the country.
Chaulk has never had the opportunity to go to nationals "at home.” She is going into it with the mindset of winning the AUS first and then going to nationals.
To do this, Chaulk wants the team to remain "as a family" and stay true to their culture.
"We all are buying into working hard, putting in everything and playing every shift out as if it's our last," she said. "Staying true to being a hardworking team and a respectable team.”
This culture and chemistry built by the players is something that Ashlyn Armstrong has noticed during her short time playing with the green and gold.
Armstrong is in her rookie season. The first-year defenceman described herself as a "very energetic" player, someone who fans will hear while on the ice.
"I've never felt more supported on a team. The girls always have my back whenever I'm in a battle. They're always there to help me. Whenever I'm down, they're always beside me to help me get pumped up," she said. "I'm excited to start the new season to see how much growth I'll have this year."
Armstrong did not have to wait long before scoring her first AUS goal. With less than two minutes left in the third period, Armstrong took the puck at the Dalhousie blue line and found herself in a "good situation to take a shot.”
"There's definitely a huge jump. The speed, the physicality, the competition is a crazy difference," she said of the changes going from U18 to university hockey. "Some of the things that I was doing in U18 hockey would not work [here]. So, I find moving my feet a little bit more opens up opportunities."
Dr. Angela Wisniewski is a professor in the Journalism and Communications department at STU and is an avid fan of the women’s hockey team.
She began going to the games during her second year of teaching at the school after a few of her students had invited her to attend. She started by going with a friend. From there, she went with her husband.
"We've had so many good seasons since I've been a fan, so many times that we've gone really far in the playoffs and where our team members have done exciting things in their hockey careers," she said.
Wisniewski is rooting for the team making nationals at the end of the season. Given what she has seen from the team during the preseason and in the performances in recent years, she feels the goal "seems so possible."
"I felt right away that the team had a really good energy,” she said.
“Everyone played really hard and it was really exciting to see all of the new players in the mix.”
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